This site and its catalog are built for grown‑ups running their own shops, studios, and little businesses. I don’t knowingly collect any information from children, and I don’t expect anyone under 13 to be here. If a parent or guardian reaches out and tells me their child has handed over personal data, I’ll delete that data as quickly as I can.
Cookies
If you’re just browsing the catalog without signing in, SoyaSoftware does not set any cookies on your device. No tracking cookies, no advertising cookies — not a single one.
When you choose to sign in to your account, the site sets two small cookies: a session cookie so you can stay signed in as you move between pages, and a sign‑in marker cookie that remembers you have an account here. Both are strictly necessary for the account features to work. There are no advertising or third‑party tracking cookies on SoyaSoftware, period.
Changes to this policy
From time to time I may update this page as the site grows or as tools change. When that happens, I’ll note the change here and refresh the date at the bottom. If you keep using the site after a change, that tells me you’re okay with the updated policy. If something shifts in a way that affects your account data directly, I’ll put a notice in the site notifications for signed‑in readers.
Server logs
Like practically every website on the internet, the server keeps ordinary logs when someone visits. Those logs include your IP address, the type of browser you’re using, and the pages you requested. I keep these logs for security and troubleshooting — spotting broken links, understanding traffic spikes, or blocking bad actors who try to cause trouble. The logs aren’t used to build a profile of individual readers, and they aren’t shared with anyone unless I’m legally required to do so.
What an account stores
If you create a free account, here’s exactly what SoyaSoftware keeps for you:
- A display name (whatever you choose — it doesn’t have to be your real name)
- Your email address
- A hashed (not plain‑text) password
- Your list of favorited programs
- Comments you’ve written on program pages
- Your notification settings — specifically, whether you want to be alerted on the site when a program you’ve saved gets an update
An account is entirely optional. You can browse the whole catalog, read every program page, and compare versions without ever signing up.
Comments and moderation
Every comment on SoyaSoftware is read by a real person before it appears publicly. When you leave a comment on a program page, the moderator sees the comment text, the display name on your account, the email address tied to that account, and the page where you left the comment. Your email address is never shown to other readers — only your display name and the comment itself appear on the page once it’s approved.
Right after you submit a comment, you’ll see it on the page marked “awaiting moderation.” Other visitors won’t see it until it passes review. I moderate comments to keep the catalog helpful and spam‑free for small‑shop folks like you. I don’t edit comments — it’s either approved as written or not published at all.
What never happens here
I run SoyaSoftware as a resource for makers and small shops, not as a data business. That means a few things are simply off the table:
- I never sell or rent your data to anyone — not your email, not your favorites, not your browsing habits.
- I never load third‑party advertising trackers. There are no ad networks, no tracking pixels, no analytics scripts that follow you around the web.
- I never use your email to send marketing messages, because the site doesn’t send any marketing email at all. The only email you’d ever get from SoyaSoftware is a direct reply if you write in with a question.
Deleting your account and comments
If you’d like your account removed, just write to [email protected] from the email address on the account. Let me know whether you want the whole account deleted, or just specific comments taken down, and I’ll handle it. Once an account is gone, your display name, email, hashed password, favorites, comments, and notification settings are removed from the active site. I may keep a bare record — an email address and the fact that an account was deleted — in case I need to confirm the request later, but nothing else hangs around.
If you have any questions that this page didn’t cover, you’re always welcome to reach me at the same address. I’m one person running a catalog of useful Mac software alongside a handmade‑goods shop, so I’ll answer as thoughtfully and as quickly as I can.